Mickey Rooney voiced characters for Hampton-based Rainbow Puppets

April 07, 2014|By Jennifer L. Williams, jwilliams@dailypress.com

Hollywood icon Mickey Rooney is gone, but his voice will continue to be heard locally in his work with Rainbow Puppet Productions.

Rooney, who died of natural causes on Sunday at the age of 93, has done recorded voice work since 2003 for the puppet shows. Rainbow is preparing "Jack and the Beanstalk" for presentation this summer featuring Rooney's narration.

Rooney transformed from a quiet and self-contained person when he was working, said Newport News resident Steve Scheffler, who has been with Rainbow Puppets for 15 years and did all of Rooney's music production and video for the organization.

"It was really cool to watch him go from being just Mickey to, say, the pirate and really put it on," Scheffler said.

Off and on for 10 years, he recorded both audio and video of Rooney, who seemed to come alive when he switched into character. Rooney was entertaining to watch, and Scheffler said he feels fortunate to have all of the films of Rooney's antics.

"He just did things so animated," Scheffler said. "Last time we did it was in Williamsburg a couple years ago. This very frail-looking man — and as soon as the mic was on, the camera was rolling, he became this other person — just had a knack to dive into it and be everything you could want. So it was cool; it was very cool."

Rooney first joined Hampton-based Rainbow Puppets in 2003 as the master toy maker in "Babes in Toyland." He was featured in Rainbow productions of "Pirate Party," "The Tortoise and the Hare" and as Old King Cole telling tales such as "The Three Little Pigs."

Rooney and wife Jan made their last recorded performance for Rainbow in "The Land of Oz."

David Messick, founder of Rainbow Puppets and director of circulation for the Daily Press, said he first saw Rooney in the Broadway show "Sugar Babies" in the 1980s and wanted to work with him.

"Fortunately, his agent remembered meeting me earlier at a Mickey performance and they understood our mission to take professional productions to schools and to areas that might never see professional theater … and they agreed to help," Messick said in a press release on Rainbow's website.

Scheffler said Rooney shunned stardom and didn't like people making a big deal over him — and could become very angry if they did. Recording sessions were business-like and as long as Rooney was treated like a regular person, he was fine, Scheffler said.

"I think he had just grown tired of the fanfare that came with being a movie star," Scheffler said. "I learned to be normal around him, not to make a big deal. He was a good guy; and he will be missed."

Local puppeteer Craig T. Adams voiced characters in Rainbow shows with Rooney, though they recorded them separately. Adams' one meeting with Rooney was while the star was in Williamsburg a few years ago for a show, and Adams was able to take his mother, who went into "teen heartthrob mode" at the sight of footage of a young Rooney on the screen, he said.

"I was amazed at all of the things that he could do in his late 80s," Adams said.

Rainbow Puppets has two or three hours of audio recordings of Rooney that go with different shows, which will go on.

"Right now we're drawing out pieces and parts we need to do 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' " Scheffler said.

Williams can be reached by phone at 757-247-4644.

Rainbow Puppets

Rainbow Puppet Productions is a nonprofit company founded in 1977. It produces touring children's programs that visit theaters, libraries, schools and museums.